Comments from the Public
 

Hiya Folks,
When I'm out on my vintage bikes I fairly regularly get 'nice bike' from random strangers.

Partly it's because I ride Holdsworths and they had a factory in Putney (where they made the Specials).
https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/...fter-87-years/
One old guy at a pedestrian crossing said he knew people who used to work there and when they shut half the stock walked out the door with the workers.

Hit a new high for me yesterday: out on the recently finished 1961 Holdsworth Cyclone and a 20-30 year old guy driving a white van gave a thumbs up and said 'nice bike'
when we were stopped at some lights. I was in the adjacent lane on his passenger side so he had to make some effort. I'm guessing he spotted the Mafac Racer from the back and took
a closer look, but not the behaviour expected of 'white van man'. Or he might have been trade, but didn't see anything obvious on the van.

So anybody else have any nice interactions with random public ?

When looking classy while also safe yet workerlike on regular local suburban roads & headed out to the countryside - yes, random motorists of all persuasions will let you know that you are respected and maybe even worthy of a few “style points”.

I get occasional comments from the "general public" -- but quite a few from other cyclists... sometimes just admiring the old beauties, but mostly "advising" me of the error of my ways... :foo:

I do too, almost as much as hearing, "get off the road". LOL!

I'm sort of a local novelty in the little valley I live in because all the regulars out there see me on a different bike pretty much each day so they love to comment on what I'm riding on any given day. Plus yes, I do get drivers giving the thumbs up, etc. every now and then. In today's world of dull looking, bloated plastic bikes a colorful steel ride always stands out. ;)

One favorite is the Red, White, and Blue PDG Paramount I ride while wearing an over the top red, white, and blue kit. That pretty much always get's me plenty of positive responses where I live.

Today I'll be out on the Y-Foil though and that usually has at least one person reacting to the oddity of it each time I take it out.

I frequently ride my 1968 Raleigh Sprite to outdoor festivals and concerts in the park, and without fail, someone will come up and talk to me about it.

Ride a vintage tandem and there's no end to the general-public comments! My partner isn't a regular rider, so we pretty much just ride to the local coffee shop and the farm brewery sometimes and it's all that gets talked about...

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ef6afc925.jpg

Does "You should be on the sidewalk!" count?

Most recent while about town, what are those levers for? You have to reach down There to shift? And manually select the gear??!

the Colnagos get recognized often.
The black, red and chrome Bertin gets the most unsolicited “nice bike” shout outs from automobile drivers.

Red and white with gold and black here:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dab4365012.jpg

‘that bike deserves tan sidewall tires.

Nice a$$ Lance!

I was very much in two minds about that.
Unfortunately I know and like Vittoria Rubino Pro tubulars and they only seem to be available in black.
But I could try Vittoria Corsa Control at some point which seem to be black or para, it's a bit
expensive if I don't like the look though.

https://www.vittoria.com/ww/en/tyres...res/rubino-pro
https://www.vittoria.com/ww/en/tyres.../corsa-control

The Schwinn Project KOM-10 is my go-to choice for neighborhood parades on patriotic holidays, and it often gets comments something like, "Cool -- a red, white, and blue bike!"

The owner of one of my local bike shops liked my Bianchi, partly because I told him I had gotten it from a neighbor who had bought it there in 1982, and partly because I was splurging on new tires and handlebar tape. :)

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...649cdcf35b.jpg
The 1959 Capo, my one big splurge on a professional paint job, regularly gets admiring glances and comments, including my "mug shot" at the local commuter rail station.

“That bike has lots of chrome and shiny parts!” The blackout look is fine, but not very visually interesting. All of this offset by “Look at the fat guy in the bike jersey”

I did have a neighbour ask if the bike was new, it was my 1982 Holdsworth Avanti.
It has rust spots with nail varnish repairs, otherwise quite clean.

Comments on vintage bikes
 

I wonder if a lot of the attention is due to the fact that the modern bike has so little resemblance to a C&V bike, that a lot of people are taken aback at how these bikes can function as bikes.

When all you are used to is oversized carbon tubing and bottom brackets that can practically take a 2 stroke engine, seeing the tiny tubes of yesteryear and DT shifters seems foreign.

Sorry, I don't ride C&V, but I just wanted to comment that Putney brings back nice memories. I lived in a flat at 7 Cambalt Road for a few months in 1986. I was 25 years old and working in London. Lovely town.

Mark

I drive a truck and work with other truck drivers. Usually I get some ribbing about cycling especially if I am in full kit which is ok as I know they are just being boys. All that goes away when I bring something unique and sometimes they go over the bike as one would look as a classic car, looking at all the fine detail. The latest was this week when I brought a Master with decor AD-4 paint. Imagine 5 or 6 truckers almost drooling over a bicycle like I did when I first saw one in 2000 at a shop LOL

I think part of the attraction to non-cyclists is that we're all getting a lot older and the public can recognise what I ride as almost the bicycle they had as a kid.
(although in my case that would be a Herclues 3 speed)

When I walk to the local shops I check the bike parking and it's generally full of grey/black noname cr*p and e-bikes.

My chrome bikes draw the most comments. Oooo, shiny!

My (~1980s-1990s steel) bike doesn't draw many comments from the general public, who don't really see the difference between my bike and a beach cruiser. My neighbor, a cyclist, knew what he was looking at. And the former owner of the top-end bike shop in town was impressed. He said he much preferred working on bikes of that era than newer stuff.

Recently rode an organized century on my Merckx. Got a lot of compliments on the bike throughout the ride. Even more though, I got comments on my using flat pedals. Almost everyone was using clipless pedals and they thought it was "wild", "crazy", "old school" that I was using flat pedals. Only obvious performance difference I could detect is I'd have to wait for them to clip in after every red light.

qft.

Be prepared for high-fives from Egyptians.
"...(although in my case that would be a Herclues 3 speed)"
I just picked up a 1965.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b63f7cc6a3.jpg

My late 80's drop-barred Rockhopper used to get lots of comments around town. Guys twice my age who'd had one or had done something similar, emulating John Tomac. Women generally commented that they liked the purple bar tape. I do too. Now that gravel bikes are more of a thing I don't get that many comments.

I have a coworker who told me a story about his "nice shorts". That was the comment he got from women who saw him riding in his too old shorts. Shorts with a view.